The Legend
by It's Always Okay to Cry
Summary: Pitch has been defeated and is on the side of the Guardians, but Jake and Isla have gone missing. Not only that, but a strange legend no one has heard of has surfaced, and it may be more important than the Guardians realize. This is the fourth book in the Frozen Love series. It is suggested that you read the other ones first to have a better understanding.
1. Prologue

**Alllllright everyone! How are you all doing today? Good? Great! Okay! So this is the fourth book in my Frozen Love series, as it says in the summery. The others are(in order) Frozen 2 Part 1 and 2, Frozen Over, and Frosted Ice, just so you guys know. I'm so excited for this book, and for those who read Snowy Frost(another one of my books), thank you so much! Just seeing that lots of people like it makes me grin that much bigger.**

 **Right, and on with the important stuff. If you guys have questions, or just want to say hi, don't be hesitant to leave it in the review box! I am happy to answer any questions you have, and if I have errors in my writing, please let me know so I can change them.**

 **Thanks!**

 **~Tigerflight**

Prologue

Silence. Complete and utter silence. She had never thought she would want to be locked behind this door again. But this time it wasn't to keep herself in, it was to keep other people out.

She heard the all-too familiar knock, but knew it didn't belong to the person who had created it.

"Aunt Elsa?"

Elsa didn't answer.

"Snowflake, we're all here. You're not the only one who's hurting. Heidi shares your pain."

"Mother, would you just open the door?"

"She was all I had left," Elsa finally responded. "She died just like they did."

"Elsa, please open the door. We're all here for you. Snowflake, please."

Elsa simply rested her head on the door.

"So, tell me about this Jack Frost," Anna requested. "What's he like? Do you actually know him?

"Of course, I know him," Elsa replied. "He came to teach me how to control my powers while I was locked in my room. Do you think I would love him if I didn't know him?"

Anna gave Elsa a funny look. "So, wait, let me get this straight." She put her hands on Elsa's shoulders and shook her sister vigorously. "Do you mean to say you fell in love without me?!" Anna stopped shaking her.

"Yes?" Elsa replied meekly.

"I don't believe it."

"Well, you did the same thing. Twice, if I'm not mistaken."

"Hans doesn't count; he tried to kill us. I'm just sorry I missed one of the most important things in my sister's life."

Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna. "I don't want you to miss anything else. I don't want to miss anything in your life either."

"Do you have to go?" Elsa asked again. "On a boat no less?"

Anna hugged her sister tighter. "I have to get the trading straightened out in person, not pen. I don't like it any more than you do, Elsa. I should be back in two weeks."

Elsa finally let go of Anna. "Be careful, Anna. You take care of my sister, Kristoff."

"I will," he returned.

Elsa hugged Anna one last time. "I love you, Anna. When you come back we'll build a snowman. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," Anna answered. "I love you too, Elsa. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

"Snowflake." Jack's voice interrupted Elsa's memories. "Just open the door."

Taking in a shaky breath, Elsa complied. She was instantly embraced in icy arms.

Elsa finally couldn't take it anymore and began to sob into Jack's shoulder. "Oh, Jack. I never got to build a snowman with her."


	2. Chapter 1 Family Matters

**I'm giving you two chapters today, because the Prologue was so sad. Sorry for that.**

Chapter 1 Family Matters

Jack's POV

"Alright, we're all here," Bunny said. "Let's begin."

"Hold up." Tooth faced me. "Jack, where's Elsa? She's a guardian too."

"She… needs some time alone," I replied.

North's eyes softened with sympathy. "I see. Shall we start without her?"

I nodded. "I'll tell her about our meeting later. Is something wrong?"

North's expression turned grave. "We all know that Pitch has changed, and will only bring fear and darkness if necessary. But that doesn't mean evil is gone. Good cannot exist without evil."

"Does this have to do with Jake and Isla?" I asked.

"We still haven't found them," Tooth responded. "It's been 10 Arendellian years and they seem to have disappeared."

"We're worried about Elsa," Bunny told me.

"Why?" I inquired.

"She's from another time, and constantly goes in between our time and hers."

"But the man in the moon knew that when he made Elsa a guardian, didn't he?" I pointed out. "Why would there be anything to worry about?"

"Well, there is an old legend," North answered thoughtfully. "And we believe it has to do with Tessa."

"Oh?" I inquired. "What's that?"

Elsa's POV

I leaned on the balcony, feeling the cold breeze ruffle my hair. I took a deep breath, smiling sadly at the many memories flying past my gaze.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

My eyes remained closed. "Hi, Jack."

Jack wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek. "How's the kingdom of isolation?"

"It's alright."

"Elsa, we need to talk," Jack whispered in my ear.

"I can't, Jack," I murmured. "I need to be alone right now."

"You've had plenty of time by yourself," Jack reasoned. "I think it's time you were around people. Human people."

"I don't know if I'd be able to cope."

"Too bad."

I opened my eyes. My ice castle was gone, and Jack was flying through the mountains to Arendelle. I should have known.

Jack set us down in the courtyard. Heidi and a young man I'd never seen before were waiting for us.

"You found her." Heidi directed the comment at Jack.

"I never had to look," Jack returned. "Who's your friend?"

The young man bowed. "Prince Andrew of the Northern Isles. I'm pleased to meet Princess Heidi's uncle."

Jack's eyebrows lifted. "You can see me?"

Prince Andrew smiled at Heidi. "Anything Heidi believes in, I believe in. including her aunt." He bowed again. "Queen Elsa. It's nice to finally meet you."

My brow furrowed. "Finally?"

Prince Andrew looked awkward. "My distant relative had many interesting tales about you and your sister."

I understood immediately. "Hans."

Heidi glanced at her suitor. "Don't worry, Aunt Elsa. I know he's nothing like the late Prince Hans. I certainly don't want to punch him."

I allowed my surprise to show on my face. "Late?"

"He was ironically executed for treason after trying to overthrow his oldest brother," Heidi told me.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Only he would do such a thing."

"Aunt Elsa, I have something important we all need to talk about," Heidi said. "Can we take this inside?"

"Sure," I agreed.

The four of us went inside the castle and began to walk through the halls. Servants nodded respectfully to Heidi and Andrew before going on their way.

"You know that I am Queen Anna's heir," Heidi began. "And I now have responsibilities. My coronation is only a few days away, and then I'll be queen like she was. The head council requested that I get married so I wouldn't be alone in my decisions. I was already seeing eligible princes, so it wasn't much of a problem for me. Then I met Andrew." She smiled at him. "Apparently, finding a husband isn't so hard after all." Andrew smiled back.

I could hardly believe it. Heidi getting married? She was still a little girl. But, then, so was Tessa.

"Aunt Elsa, I was hoping you would walk me down the aisle?" Heidi asked hesitantly.

"Me?" I responded.

"Well, since Mother and Father can't, I thought you could, if it's okay."

"I would be honored," I said. "Although, not many people will be able to see me."

"I will," Heidi returned. "And Andrew will. That's what matters."

I managed a small smile. "Alright, Heidi. If you want me to, I will walk you down the aisle."

Heidi grinned. "Great! The wedding is the day before my coronation, which is next week." She turned to her husband-to-be. "Andrew, we should go over the wedding plans. Come on."

Heidi began walking down the hall again, and Andrew sent Jack a 'help me' look.

"Don't worry, Andrew," Jack assured him. "It only gets better from here. I should know," he added.

I nudged him. "I heard that!"

Andrew looked slightly relieved. "I hope so. All she wants to have at the wedding is chocolate! I'm on a quest to stop that, but so far, I'm failing."

"Andy!" Heidi called.

"Coming!" Andrew glanced resignedly back to me and Jack. "See you later."

I sighed. "Heidi is just like her mother."

Jack brightened as if he remembered something. "Oh! That reminds me! Speaking of mothers, we need to talk."

"Is it Luke?"

"Try fifteen years younger."

"Is Tessa okay? Is there something wrong? We fixed the fact that she grows on Arendelle time, didn't we? Or is there a problem with that?"

Jack chuckled. "Elsa, calm down. Everything's fine. North just told me a legend that may be about her."

"Oh." I was relieved. "What is it, then?"

"The legend says that someone was touched by the moon, and that they and a friend will bring an end to the darkness."

I sighed. "Jack, are you sure we did the right thing?"

"She said she understood."

"But she's only ten," I replied. "What if she thinks she's unwanted?"

"She's in good hands. Jamie said his mother liked her right away."

"Does Jamie know about her wings?"

Jack nodded. "I told him. His mom and sister don't, but I think that's for the best."

"I just don't want her to think we don't want her," I murmured.

"Why don't we visit her?" Jack offered. "It would be good for both of you to see one another."

I nodded. "Okay, you're right. Let's go."

After telling Heidi and Andrew where we were going, Jack and I went to our bedroom and through the portal. Arriving at the North Pole, we flew to Jamie's house.

Tessa was playing outside when we landed. She brightened when she saw us and raced forward. "Mother, Father!"

We bundled her in a hug. "Hello, Tessa."

We broke apart, and Tessa faced me. "Father told me about Aunt Anna, Mother. I'm so sorry."

I gave her a watery smile. "Thank you, Sweetheart." I shook my head. "But we aren't here to talk about me. How are _you_ doing?"

"I'm okay," Tessa responded. "Jamie's family is nice, but it's not the same without you guys."

"Tessa?" a voice called. "You out here?"

"I'm back here!" Tessa replied.

A girl came around the house who looked to be about Tessa's age. She had her black hair in a braid down her back and her blue eyes brightened when she spotted Tessa.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "I've been looking all over for you…" She trailed off when she noticed me and Jack. "Uh…"

"Oh, these are my parents, Izzy," Tessa told her like it was a normal thing to say. "I told you about them, remember?"

"Well, yeah." The girl's eyes were still wide. "But I guess it never really sunk in. Wow."

"I know it may be overwhelming, but the fact that you can see them tells me you believe me." Tessa looked from the girl, to me and Jack, then back to the girl. "Isabella, meet my parents: Jack Frost, and Elsa, the Snow Queen. Mother, Father, meet Isabella: my best friend."

"Uh! Hi!" Isabella blurted. "Sorry, if I reacted rudely but I've never met Guardians before."

Jack waved it off. "It's fine; we get that all the time. Tessa, if she knows about us than does she know about…"

"My wings?" Tessa finished. "She does. I trust her completely and have told her everything. She drank it all up like someone who just stepped out of a desert. Sorry," she apologised. "It was all I could think of."

I chuckled. "Your jokes are just like your fathers'."

"What do you mean by that?" Jack demanded jokingly.

"Did you two meet at school?" I asked the girls, changing the subject.

They nodded.

"We met at lunch," Tessa replied. "I caught her reading a book on myths."

"Ironically enough, I was reading a story on you," Isabella told Jack.

"Ouch." Jack put a hand on his chest and pretended to look hurt. "I am not a myth."

"That's the first thing I said to her." Tessa grinned.

"Of course, I had to know what in the world she was talking about." Isabella smiled. "We've been friends ever since."

"And she believes," Tessa added. "So that's a bonus."

"Mother! Father! What are you doing here?"

Pure joy lit up Tessa's face and Jack and I turned.

I smiled. "We should be asking you the same question."

"I came to see my little sister." Luke nearly fell over as Tessa bulldozed into him. "Hey, Tessa."

"Good morning, Raya. How's Elisa?" I inquired.

"Growing fast," Raya responded. "Can you say 'Grandma', Ellie? Say 'Grandma'."

"Amma!" Elisa announced, grinning broadly.

"Can I hold her, Raya?"

Raya smiled. "Of course!"

I reached out my arms and Raya gently put Elisa in them. Elisa looked up at me with huge green-blue eyes and grinned again.

"Amma!"

"That's right, Ellie," I confirmed. "I'm your Amma." I gave her back to Raya. "Thank you. I'm –"

I stopped short. It felt as though something had hit me. Suddenly I felt the breath drive out of me and pain hit my chest. I fell to the ground.

"Elsa!" Jack rushed over to me. "Are you okay?"

"No," I answered, my voice no more than a whisper. "I think something's wrong."


	3. Chapter 2 The Legend

**Hi, guys! Sorry for the delay. Anyway, I hope you likie! Let me know what you thought! Your opinion is important to me.**

Chapter 2 The Legend

Elsa's POV

"Dying?" Jack repeated. "What do you mean, she's dying?"

"Just as I said," Tooth replied. She looked at the computer again. "It appears that Elsa's body is in reverse to when she first died. How did you die, Elsa?"

"Pitch offered me a chance to join him and I refused," I answered. "I had to protect my kingdom. He then shot me into a ravine where I later died."

Jack looked like he remembered something. "Wait, did you say her body was in reverse?"

Tooth nodded, appearing confused at first, but understanding soon showed on her face. "You don't mean…"

North looked grim. "I'm afraid so. The legend has come true."

"What legend?" I asked, sitting up.

North pulled a scroll out from one of his pockets. "This one," he said before he began to read from the scroll.

 ** _"_** ** _When what was torn is again made whole_**

 ** _The darkness has fulfilled its goal_**

 ** _In reverse the clock will soar_**

 ** _A day for a year the Snow Queen was born_**

 ** _To stop the clock, you must find_**

 ** _Both dark and light in a friendship bind_**

 ** _Only when the friends are one_**

 ** _Will the darkness be undone_**

 ** _One must be born, birthed in darkness, seeking light_**

 ** _The other touched by the moon, seeking flight_**

 ** _For them to reach their full potential_**

 ** _The glow and shadowstones are essential_**

 ** _But if you don't, and the time runs down_**

 ** _The Snow Queen will wear a funeral gown."_**

Bunny appeared to be thinking. "The legend says, 'a day for a year'. Elsa, how long has it been since you died?"

"Twenty-five years," I responded.

"So, I'm guessing you have just under twenty-five days to live."

"So, we have twenty-five days to figure out this ancient legend, or I die? For real this time?" I summarized.

The other guardians nodded gravely.

"Well, then let's get started!" I tried to get up, but Tooth pushed me back down.

"Woah there. You're in no condition to go anywhere! I suggest you stay here until you get your strength back."

"All do respect, Tooth, but I'm pretty sure I'm only going to feel worse until we get this thing resolved." I glanced at the medical equipment. "How do you know how to do all this stuff, anyway?"

"Oh, I was a medical advisor before I died," Tooth explained. "I took care of sick children close to where I lived. Of course, that was in the Dark Ages, so I've had to get used to the different technology in our little medical wing of the workshop."

"I didn't even know the workshop _had_ a 'little medical wing'," Bunny whispered to Sandy. Sandy grinned.

"If you don't want me to walk, then I won't walk," I decided. I waved my hand and a hovering chair of ice appeared. I faced Tooth again. "Happy?"

"Very."

Bunny grinned. "The Snow Queen made a wheelchair."

Jack glared at him. "It is not a wheelchair! It is a hovering chair to help her move from place to place."

Bunny's face deadpanned. "It's a wheelchair."

"It can't be," Jack insisted. "It doesn't even have wheels."

Bunny's expression didn't change. "It's a wheelchair."

I hovered myself in between the two. "Okay, so it's a wheelchair! Can't you both just let it go?"

North brightened and pulled something out of his pocket.

"Put that down, Nicolas St. North!" the rest of us, except Sandy, shouted.

North mock-pouted. "You guys are no fun!" He put the recording-stone back in his pocket.

I shook my head. "I still can't believe he recorded me. I can't even say those three words anymore without someone grinning wide." I turned to Tooth. "So, Doc, can I leave, or am I to stay here for eternity?"

Tooth rolled her eyes. "No, you may leave as long as you remain in the chair whenever you need to move from one place to another."

"Alright, thank you, Tooth," I replied. I moved toward the door.

"Oh, we should warn you –" Jack began as I opened the door.

"Mother!"

"Elsa!"

"Aunt Elsa!"

"Amma!" Elisa joined in the excitement, a grin on her face.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"We wanted to be sure you were okay," Heidi responded. "Since when did you have a portal in your bedroom?"

"How did you know something was wrong?"

"Uncle Jack," Heidi answered. She didn't need to elaborate.

Tessa smirked. "What's with the wheelchair?"

Bunny crossed his arms. "Told you," he murmured to Jack.

I shook my head. "Did Isabella go home, Tessa?"

Tessa nodded. "She sends her best wishes."

I smiled. "I'll be sure to thank her when I see her next."

"Uh, Aunt Elsa?" Heidi had a funny expression on her face. "What in the world are you sitting on?"

"A hovering chair," I told her. "It's so I don't injure myself further by walking." I looked to Jack. "Should we tell them the legend?"

"I don't see why not," Jack replied. "We need as much help as we can get."

We read the legend to them, and waited in silence for it to sink in.

"Do you think I'm the one 'touched by the moon, seeking flight'? Mani touched me and gave me wings after I asked for them. He's technically the moon, isn't he?"

Jack nodded. "You're right, Tessa. North, the legend talks about glow and shadow stones, what are they? Do you have them?"

"Well, sort of," North answered. "A few months ago, Mani gave me the glowstone, and Pitch the shadowstone. Here."

North reached into a pocket and pulled out a small pebble. It was so smooth and shiny, I could see my reflection in it. It was a pale silver and matched-

"Hey," Tessa remarked. "It matches my wings! Can I hold it?"

North nodded and held out the stone.

As Tessa reached for the pebble, it began to glow a bright silver. It floated out of North's hand and a chain with the stone until it was a loop of chain with the stone hanging off. It went over Tessa's head to hang around her neck, the glow fading from the stone.

"So, I _am_ part of this legend?" Tessa checked.

"I assume so," North agreed. "The stone chose you after all."

"Do you think I'm the one 'birthed in darkness'?" Raya wondered. "Pitch is my father after all."

I nodded slowly. "Perhaps. We'll ask Pitch."

"Ask me what?" Pitch and Volcana appeared on the outskirts of the group.

"The shadowstone," North answered. "We're wondering if it belongs to Raya. Do you have it?"

Pitch and Volcana shared a glance.

"Actually, that's why we're here," Volcana replied. "We need to talk to you about the stone."

North's expression darkened. "You don't have it, do you?"

"No." Pitch looked nervous. "And if you don't, we know who does."

I understood at once. "Jake and Isla."

Unknown POV

I walked down the seemingly endless hallway. I had been told to enter the first door on my left, and so far, there were no doors. As I walked, I glanced around me, looking for a way to escape should the meeting go bad. But there was nothing. I would have to rely on myself if I needed to flee.

Flee? I stopped short. I would never flee. I would die fighting if he had to.

I finally came to the right door and went into the room. It looked like a large library with a circular table in the center. There were several people sitting at the table.

The only girl had wavy brown hair and multicolored eyes, which she narrowed as I stepped into the room. One of the two boys were barely visible and kept vanishing from sight from time to time. The other boy seemed to have arms made of swords. Correction, his arms and hands _became_ swords.

He grinned as he caught sight of me. "Hey, dude, come sit here!" He gestured to the seat beside him. "Just don't bother Contortia. She's extra moody today."

I sat next to Sword Arm Boy. "What's your name?"

"I'm Forge." Forge was a slightly tanned young man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. His black hair was cropped short and his clothes were all in grey, which were a nice compliment to his blue eyes. "So, did you get the note too?"

"Sorry?"

"The note that asked for you to meet someone here," Forge elaborated.

"I did."

"So, did we." Contortia spoke for the first time. "And so far, I'm the only girl. Whoopie."

"Who's he?"

Forge glanced at the other boy. "Oh, that's Illusion. Hardly talks. What is your name?"

Before I could answer, a pair of people stepped from the shadows. The girl had a long black braid, a black dress, and dark blue eyes. The boy had a black hoodie, black pants, and carried a thin black staff. His eyes were also dark blue, and her hair black.

"Welcome," the girl purred. "I'm Isla, and this is Jake. I'm sure you all received our notes telling you to come here?"

"We would like to invite you to join us in our revenge against the Guardians," Jake explained. "Tell us what you can do."

Those around the table began to say who they were and what they could do. Illusion could camouflage into any background. Forge's hands and arms could change into any sort of weapon. Contortia was a shape-shifter.

"What about you?" Isla's voice was directed at me.

I smirked and met her blue eyes with my red gaze. "My name is Ember." I raised my hand and small flames licked at my fingers. "It's time to play with fire."


	4. Chapter 3 Mysterious Beings

**Aaand chapter 2 of the say, just cuz I love you guys!**

Chapter 3 Mysterious Beings

Jack's POV

I rolled over to lay on my side. I smiled as my eyes fell upon Elsa's sleeping face next to mine. She looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake her up, but we had to continue searching for the answer to the legend. We had looked everywhere for Jake and Isla the previous night, but had found nothing. Elsa had been exhausted and had fallen asleep immediately. I decided now to let her sleep in a little.

I moved as silently as I could from the bed and pulled my hoodie and pants on. With that done, I formed a small snowflake and had it drift toward Elsa's nose. It landed with a splash of blue magic, and Elsa giggled sleepily. It only took a couple more snowflakes for her to fully wake up.

She blinked and turned to face me, a small smile on her lips. "Good morning, Jack."

I kissed her forehead. "Good morning, Snowflake. Almost mistook you for Anna while you were asleep." Sadness flickered in Elsa's gaze. "Sorry."

"No, you're right." Elsa chuckled softly. "She could out-sleep a hibernating bear. I suppose it's time to get up." She swung her legs out of bed and flew herself the short distance to her levitating chair. She changed her nightgown to her ice dress, then faced me. "Ready to start the day?"

I grabbed my staff from where I had leaned it against a wall. "With you by my side, I'm always ready."

We went through our portal, and not a moment too soon. Bunny stood at the entrance, tapping his large foot.

"There you are!" he exclaimed. "I've been waiting for you two to arrive! There's something serious going on. Follow me."

We followed Bunny to the globe room. The globe itself had received an upgrade; it could now pick up any sign of danger that could and would harm the children. Now it showed exactly that. A huge fire that was sweeping across what appeared to be-

"Burgess!" Elsa and I cried in unison. We shared a terrified glance. "Tessa!"

"It's alright," North interjected. "Raya and Luke are already there calming the flames. They'll make sure Tessa is fine."

"But where's Elisa?" Elsa asked.

"Right here," Volcana replied as she stepped up to us.

"Ire!" Elisa announced joyfully. She moved her hands and a cup of water that had been on a table began to move. The water came out of the cup and floated above Elisa. She pointed to the globe, and there the water went, seeming to create rain clouds above Burgess. The rain put out the flames. "Wa-er!"

"Water indeed," Elsa murmured. "How did she do that?"

"Instinct?" Volcana suggested.

Several minutes later, Luke and Raya flew into the workshop, utterly soaked.

"Well, that was unexpected," Luke commented. "What happened?"

"Your daughter," Pitch replied as he stepped up. "Took water out of a cup and dumped it on Burgess. All without touching the cup itself."

Raya took Elisa in her arms. "She did? Good job, Elisa."

"Wa-er!" Elisa replied.

"Does anyone know how the fire started?" Raya inquired.

Pitch and Volcana exchanged a glance. "We do."

"Oh?" Now I was curious. "How?"

"Raya's brother," Volcana responded.

"I have a brother?" Raya exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"He never came up, and we don't like to talk about him," Volcana explained. "His name is Ember. He inherited as much of Pitch's darkness as my fire, while you only received my flame. He was evil from the very start, setting fires, burning villages. At first, we didn't try to stop him, but now we wish we did."

"We taught him to hate the Guardians," Pitch continued for Volcana. "And he does. He'll do nearly anything to bring them down."

"Including joining Jake and Isla," Volcana finished.

"I need to warn Heidi," Elsa said. "Isla kidnapped her once, I wouldn't put it past her to do it again."

I nodded. "Let's go."

We quickly went through our portal and opened our bedroom door.

"Elsa," I whispered.

Stuck in the door was a dagger, which was pinning a piece of paper to the wood. It was a note.

 _Come to the library. Bring Jack._

"I have to go," Elsa announced. "Don't try to stop me."

"As a matter of fact, I'm coming with you," I answered. "Wouldn't want to disappoint our guests."

We walked – well, I walked, Elsa floated – down the hall to the library, where we found Heidi.

"Did you get the note too?" she asked. We nodded. "Let's see who are to meet."

She opened the library doors. At the far side of the big room stood two darkly cloaked figures. Their large hoods hid their faces.

"I see you got our notes," spoke the taller one in a deep voice. "Please close the door. We need to speak with you."

I closed the doors.

"Jake and Isla, I presume," Elsa guessed.

The figures laughed.

"Not even close," the smaller one chuckled. They lifted their hoods. "Recognise us now?" asked the woman.

We did.

"But –" Elsa sputtered. "I thought you were dead!"

"I guess now," Anna returned. She stepped up to Elsa and gave her a huge hug. "Elsa, what in the world are you sitting on?"

Elsa tipped her head back to laugh in pure joy, something I had not heard for several weeks.

"Now, Heidi, what's this I hear about you getting married?" Kristoff raised an eyebrow.

"Nobody move," threatened a voice from behind us. "If you so much as touch them, you – oh."

Heidi's face turned red. "I told you to wait in your room!"

"I couldn't let you come here alone!" Andrew protested. "What if it was Jake and Isla?"

"It's obviously not," Heidi pointed out.

"Right." Andrew went to stand before Kristoff. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I'm relieved to find you haven't moved on, and would like to get to know you."

"So, you're the man who wishes to marry my daughter," Kristoff made clear.

"Yes, sir," Andrew agreed.

"Do you know her?" Kristoff pressed. "Really know her?"

"I believe I do, sir."

"Favorite color?"

"Green."

"Favorite food?"

Andrew grinned at this one. "Chocolate." He looked to Anna. "Just like her mother."

"Best friend's name?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Whether you mean Raya, or Luke, both of which are her best friends." Heidi came up to Andrew, who took her hand in his. "As for her powers, I love them. In fact, it's how we met."

Anna, being the curious sort that she was, gestured for us all to sit down. "Alright, everybody. Sit down. I want to hear this story."

Heidi's POV

We sat down, and I turned to Andrew. "Could we tell it together? That was we can give either side."

Andrew smiled. "It's fine with me. Do you want to start?"

I took a deep breath, then began. "I was being seen by eligible princes from around Arendelle. I had recently finished a meeting with one particular prince who wouldn't stop going on about himself. Prince Samuel this, Prince Samuel that. When I couldn't take his smug look any longer, I sent him back to the Southern Isles." I drove on without letting them react to where he was from. "I needed a break and went into the back garden of the castle. There I made myself a treehouse, not knowing, of course, that a certain prince was also in the garden."

"I was amazed that she had done something as grand as a treehouse with a simple wave of her hand," Andrew said. "And, being the amazed idiot that I am, I walked right up to her, commenting on her creation."

"He said things like: 'How'd you do that?', and, 'That's awesome!", and, 'Can you make me one?'"

"What?" Andrew asked with a grin as we laughed. "Is it wrong for a man to want his own treehouse?"

"We got to talking, and getting to know each other, and, well, here we are now," I finished, with a smile in Andrew's direction.

The library doors burst open and in ran Raya. Her face was white, and her breath was coming in gasps.

"It's Luke!" she cried. "I can't find him anywhere! I'm worried Jake and Isla found him."

"Jake or Isla?" I echoed, facing Aunt Elsa.

"We were going to tell you," she said. "But there was a knife stuck in the door."

"Sorry about that," Father apologized. "We needed to get you here quickly."

"I don't care about knives!" Raya interjected. "We need to find Luke!"

"You're right, Raya; we're sorry." I put a hand on her shoulder. "Where did you last see him?"

Raya's hands became normal again, the flames diminishing. "When we came back through North's snow globe, Luke went to our room, letting me take a walk to think about my brother. I came back, and we fell asleep, but when I woke up, he was gone!"

"Your hands, Ray," I warned softly.

She took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching her fists. "Okay, I'm okay. Will you help me find him?"

"Of course, we will. Where's Elisa?"

"Bedroom," Raya answered.

I gave a nod. "Okay, Mother, Father, take the East Wing, Aunt Elsa, Raya, check outside. Uncle Jack and I will search the West Wing."

"What about me?" Andrew asked.

"You can come with me," Kristoff ordered.

Andrew swallowed. "Yes, sir."

Jack's POV

Heidi and I walked down the West Wing, checking doors and branching corridors.

"Why don't you send out your thoughts to find him?" I suggested.

Heidi brightened. "Good idea." We stopped to help Heidi's concentration. After several seconds, she turned to me, confused. "I don't get it. I can hear Luke in his and Raya's room, but that's not all; Raya's there too."

"If Raya is with Luke, then the girl with Elsa…"

"…Is not Raya," Heidi finished.

I sought out Elsa's thoughts. _Snowflake?_ The name ran against a wall.

A young man who looked to be a couple years older than Luke appeared. He smirked. "Did you really think I wouldn't block your transmission, Frost?"

His flame colored hair was tousled, his eyes red. He wore a loose red button-up shirt, with the top three buttons undone. His red trousers were swallowed up by black knee-high boots. His eyes were lined with black and through his left ear was a golden hoop. He looked strangely familiar.

He chuckled. "Like what you see?" he asked Heidi. He gestured to what was visible of his sculpted chest.

Heidi's fists clenched in anger, but her face remained calm. "Hardly. I'm not into guys who dress as girls."

The boy continued to smirk. "I would be offended if I didn't love the way you look when you get angry. So cute."

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"What, ol' Mom and Pop didn't introduce me? I am their favorite son."

"You're their only son," Raya said as she came up behind the boy with Luke following. Now I suddenly understood why the stranger looked so familiar.

The boy didn't turn. "So, _there_ you are! I was wondering when you'd show up."

Elisa, held by Luke, looked from the boy's back, to Raya, and finally to Luke. "Da-da?" she inquired.

"And you brought my niece! So, kind of you."

"She is not _your_ anything," Raya retorted. "Turn around so I can see you."

The boy obliged. "Is that any way to greet your big brother?"

"Big brother?" Heidi echoed.

The boy sighed and shook his head. "You two are going to get me dizzy if you keep doing that." He turned 180 degrees, so he could see all of us. "That's better, wouldn't you all agree?" He looked to Heidi. "To properly introduce myself, I am Ember. Raya's brother. Now, if you don't mind, I'll take this burden off your hands, and I'll be going."

Elisa suddenly appeared in Ember's arms. Realizing she was no longer with her father, Elisa began to cry. She sobbed so hard she became water in Ember's hands. Ember cried out at touching water, releasing his hold on her. Heidi quickly caught her in a pillow made of flower petals.

Ember growled, his eyes appearing to flame. "I'll get her one day. Just you wait." Then, he disappeared.

Whatever wall was between me and Elsa vanished. _Snowflake!_ I practically shouted down the line.

 _"_ _Yes, Jack?"_ came a voice that was very different from Elsa's. _"What can I do for you?"_

I gritted my teeth. _Isla. What have you done to Elsa?_

There was a dark chuckle. _"Oh, Jackie,"_ she purred. _"Didn't you know it was a trap all along?"_


	5. Chapter 4 No Escape

**So, here's another chapter. What did you guys think of the last one? It was super hard to keep my grin hidden when I showed the last one to my sister. Heidi was based on her, so she was mad that I had killed her fake parents. And I think she's still a little mad that it was a fake out. Oops? Anyway, let me know what you though guys! Your opinion is important to me!**

Chapter 4 No Escape

Elsa's POV

I groaned as I managed to open my eyes. The last thing I remembered was…

I jerked to a seated position, making my head pound. That girl. The one with the multicolored eyes, she had done this! She had impersonated Raya to kidnap me. I shook my head with disgust. How often would I fall into these traps?

I stood up to get a better view of my surroundings. I had been sitting on a mat built in the wall like the cell I had been in at Arendelle. Only, there were no windows here. It was simply a black box with the metal and cushion cot to the side, and a toilet and sink in the far corner behind a wall. At least my captors had some version of privacy. In the middle of the wall to my left was an opening. I walked up to it to find it was a slab of glass. There were more cells too; one at the end of the hall to my left and along the walls to my right as far as my eyes could reach.

Sharp pain in my ribs reminded me that I shouldn't be standing in my condition. So, I sat facing the glass until I realized there was a vacant place on my neck. The place my pendant usually hung. There was only one other person who was able to bear the pendant.

A familiar chuckle caused my head to snap up. It was Isla, and she was fingering the ice pendant around her neck. She took a deep breath and exhaled with a dark smile.

"I can now see how much you like this pendant," Isla said. "I can feel my power growing stronger by the second."

"That doesn't belong to you," I said through gritted teeth.

"It belongs to me as much as it belongs to you," Isla replied. "We are one and the same, you and I."

"We are nothing alike."

Isla raised an eyebrow. "No? We don't both have ice powers, look alike, and have loved ones who carry sticks to fly?"

"That's where the similarities end."

"Is it?" Isla chuckled. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" I spat. I was tired of playing her game.

"Pitch made me so I would take your place. So, whatever happens to you, happens to me. Except for anything that would harm me, of course. So, when you are expecting, so am I, with the same gender of offspring."

I kept my surprise away from my cold expression. "You have a son and a daughter."

Isla tipped her head to one side as she continued to smirk. "Well done, Mrs. Frost. Maybe you're quicker than we thought."

I could feel my eyes flaming with icy fire. But, surprisingly, my magic didn't leak frost all over the floor and walls.

"You didn't think we'd leave you in a room with control over your powers, did you?" Isla questioned. She shook her head. "While you're in there, your powers are turned off."

Of course, they were. What did I expect when I was kidnapped and put in another cell thanks to Isla?

A young man about Luke's age appeared out of the shadows, but the darkness remained, wreathing around him. He had coal black hair like Jake's, his eyes a deep purple. He wore a black T-shirt that framed his muscled chest, and black jeans that went to his black sneakers. His smirk was an echo of Isla's, his hands in his pockets as he stepped up to her.

"Hello, Mother," he greeted Isla. He looked to me. "And you must be Elsa. Contortia did a good job getting you."

Contortia must have been the girl who took me. "Why am I here?"

"We can't have you solving the legend, can we?" Isla responded.

"Mother, we have another shipment coming in a few hours," the young man told her.

"Thank you, Shade." Isla's eyes slid back to me. "I hope you enjoy your last three weeks in here."

"Did you ever think that the legend might affect you as well?" I questioned. "If I die, you might too."

"I'm willing to take that chance," Isla answered.

Shade glanced at her, confusion and worry dancing in his eyes. "We should meet Father at the docks. Illusion and Forge said they were the ones bringing in the package."

Isla nodded once. "Alright, let's go."

I sat with my back against the glass for hours. I didn't even turn when there was movement behind me in the hall. A thud, the sound of a door closing, and feet walking away told me that I wasn't the only one in a cell anymore. It was a few minutes later that the banging and shouting started.

It was a girl's voice. "Help! Someone get me out of here!"

I turned to look at her. She had golden hair and blue eyes. Her blue shirt had sleeves that went just past her elbows and black pants and shoes. What surprised me most was the fact that–

"You have wings!" I exclaimed. She did, in fact. Dark brown striped brown wings with white undersides. "Where did you get them?"

"I was born with them," she responded. "Why?"

"The only other person I know who has wings is my daughter, and she only received them because she asked for them. The man in the moon gave them to her."

"The who in the what now?"

"The man in the moon," I repeated.

"The moon gave wings to your daughter," the girl said slowly, as if to wrap her mind around it. Then she seemed to realize something. "Why are you wearing a dress? Halloween is months away!"

I looked down. "This is my normal attire. The Snow Queen, at your service."

"The Snow Queen?!" the girl exploded. "Wow! I've only read about you in stories! I would never have hoped that you were real! What about Jack Frost? Is he real too?"

I nodded, a smile on my face. "He's my husband."

"Your –" The girl burst out laughing. "This is tool cool! I love you guys!" She brightened. "Wait, so if you're the Snow Queen, you can just blast us out of here."

I shook my head, my heart caving as I saw her face crumple. "I'm sorry, I can't. My powers are turned off in here."

"Oh," she murmured. "But my family!" she protested once more as the first tears snaked down her face. "I have to get back to them! They won't know where I am!"

I sighed. "That makes two of us."

The girl sat down facing the glass. "I'm sorry. I haven't told you my name." She turned her head to look at me. "I'm Ally."

I smiled. "Nice to meet you. My name is Elsa."

She seemed to look closer. "You're younger than I thought you would be. All the movies make you look old and evil. If you don't mind my asking: how old are you?"

I smiled again. "It's alright. I'm forty-nine. I'm immortal," I added at her astonished expression. "I became so when I was twenty-one."

"How did you become immortal?" Ally inquired.

"I died," I told her. "And Jack's magic brought me back to life. The man in the moon chose me to be a Guardian of the children. A guardian known as the Snow Queen. My job is to protect the children of the world from the ever-growing darkness."

Ally's eyebrows raised in interest as she nodded slowly. "That's amazing! And you go all over the world just to bring snow?"

I nodded.

Third Person

The girl blinked her milky blue eyes and darkness slammed back into place. She sighed. She didn't even want to be here, but she had to if she wanted her family to be free."

"Did you check up on her?"

The girl turned her head toward the voice. "I did. I also noticed something else."

"And what was that?"

The girl's hair turned white and red. "My family. Why are they here?"

A snicker caused the girl's hair to go an even darker red that contrasted with the white. "It's to keep you here of course."

"You promised they would remain in Bentley. You gave your word!" The girl's hair was peppered in red, orange, blue, and white.

"Oh, yeah. Well, I lied." Another snicker. "You should keep your feelings in check, Timora. Your hair is like fireworks."

"You have no right to keep either them or me here," Timora spat.

She could feel the other girl's breath as her face drew close.

"Like I care," she whispered. "You are here to work for me whether you like it or not. And your family is here to give you… motivation."

"I swear to you, Isla Dark, I will kill you if you so much as touch them," Timora threatened, her hair now black.

"And what are you going to do?" Isla sneered. "You can't kill an immortal."

"Not with old age," Timora answered. "But I can with weapons."

Isla stiffened and pulled away from the girl. "You hurt me, and then I will hurt Timothy. You wouldn't want that, would you?" Timora gritted her teeth. "Now, you are going to be led back to your cell," Isla told her. "And we are not about to let you see where you go. Shade."

Timora felt a breath toward her, and then nothing.

Elsa's POV

"I'm sorry," came a man's voice. "But I couldn't help but overhear."

"Who are you?" I asked. "I don't see you."

"These cells have a sort of intercom system, so whatever is said in one of these, can be heard in the others," the man explained. "My name is Father Time. I am a guardian."

"You are? I've never seen you in any of the meetings."

Father Time chuckled. "There are many other guardians that are around that you may never meet. I am the Guardian of Time, of course."

"How did you get here?" Ally inquired.

"Isla took my eldest, and then us when Timora believed we would be left alone."

"Timora is your daughter?" Ally guessed.

"She is." I could hear the pride in his voice. "And while she's blind, she has the power to both look at and go into the past, present, and future. Her hair also turns different colors depending on her mood."

Ally's face held an interested expression. "That's cool."

"Is Tima coming back, Father?" a small boy asked.

"I don't know, Timmy," Father Time replied. "But I hope so. You should get some rest."

"Alright, Father," the boy said drowsily.

"You should know that Jake, Isla, and their crew might hear us," Father Time warned.

"In you go," came Jake's voice.

"Timora!" Father Time exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"Of course, she's alright!" Jake answered sharply. "But she won't be if she doesn't start supplying information."

"You can't take advantage of her like that," Father Time protested. "It's not right."

"Guess what, old man? I don't care," Jake told him. "Now you and your son are going to stay here to give Timora a reason to help us. If she doesn't, then your wife won't be the only one to die."

A few minutes later, a groan was heard. "Father?"

"I'm here, Timora," Father Time told her. "Timothy and I are both fine."

There was a sigh of relief. "Good. Are you hearing this, Elsa?"

"I am," I confirmed. "Do you know if there is a way out of here? I have to get back to my family; I don't know how much time has passed."

"You have three weeks until the legend has run its course," Timora informed me. I could sense her smile as she chuckled. "I have a way with time."

"Your father told us."

"Us?"

"Hi," Ally said. "My name is Ally."

"Nice to meet you. Elsa," Timora addressed me again. "I'm sure Jake and Isla can hear what is said in our cells. I know what kind of powers you have and would like to make a comment that there are vents."

"Yes, there are," I replied nonchalantly, wondering what she was up to.

"I don't think the vents block magic."

I understood. I found the vent and sent out my thoughts, trying to reach Jack's. I was again thwarted by a wall.

"I'm sorry." I turned to the glass to see Shade, a look of genuine regret on his face. "But there really is no escape. I should know." He looked down at his shoes.

"You?" I questioned. "Why should you know? You're Jake and Isla's son."

"We don't get to choose our parents," Shade pointed out. "You should know that more than anyone."

"Should I? Why should I?" I asked.

"Your parents didn't recognise the good in your powers, only the bad. Mine are the same, but opposite, and for different reasons."

"And your sister? What does she have to offer Jake and Isla?"

"Isabella? She doesn't have any powers."

 _No way._ "Did you say Isabella?" I inquired. "Black hair, blue eyes, loves things on old myths?"

Pride and love flickered in Shade's violet eyes as his lips cracked a small smile. "That's her. She just made a friend named Tessa. They seem to really get along."

I sank onto the cell's bed. "Oh, man."

"What is it, Elsa?" Ally asked, her voice concerned.

"Tessa is my daughter," I whispered.

"I know."

I turned my head to look at her. "What do you mean, you know?"

Ally gave an awkward laugh. "I haven't been completely honest with you. I'm not just a girl with wings, I'm something more."

"What are you, then? And why did you ask me all those questions when we first met?"

"My real name is Ally," she said. "But some people know me by a different name. I am a writer, and I use a pseudonym, a fake name. That name is Tigerflight, and I made you. I'm trapped in my own book."


	6. Chapter 5 Allies Among The Enemy

Chapter 5 Allies Among the Enemy

Elsa's POV

How was that even possible? From what I could see of Ally, there was a sheepish look on her face, as though she never thought she would be trapped in her book. Did that mean I was just a character in a fictional world?

"What does that make us, then?" I asked. "If you're trapped here, does that make us real, or not?"

"You're real to me," she assured me. "I made you because I believe so."

"How did you get trapped in here in the first place?"

"Let's just say, I'm very imaginative and I make my characters a little too powerful. Isla literally reached out from inside my notebook and pulled me in. Scared the heebie-jeebies out of me." Ally shivered.

"If you made this world and the situation we're in, do you know what happens at the end?" Shade inquired.

"Yes… and no," Ally responded. "I do know what's going to happen at the end, but I don't know how you get there. I'm the kind of writer that just jots things down willie-nillie. I don't have a strict plot line I set for myself. Though I probably should," she muttered to herself. "And… I hadn't yet decided who would be the 'born in darkness, seeking light' person so… we're going to have to wait and see how the story plays out on its own."

"So, you literally made me someone who falls for easily avoidable kidnappings?" I asked dryly.

Ally rubbed her neck. "Oh yeah, sorry about that. We'll get rescued, sooner or later. The good always prevails!"

"But you're the one who's controlling everything that's supposed to happen," Shade pointed out. "How is anything even going to happen if you're in the story itself?"

Ally slumped in realization. "You're right, Shade," she murmured. "Oh, what am I going to do? Wait! There's magic in this world, so I should be able to do something."

"What are you going to do?" I questioned.

"The Author then was holding a pencil and notebook," Ally called, looking around her cell. Nothing happened, and she looked even more disappointed. "Never mind. I guess I can't help."

"Why did you do that?" Timora, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"Something happened in a different universe in which an Author was able to make things happen just by writing it down, so I thought I should get something to start first." Ally sighed. "But, now that I think of it, they had a magical pen that made that happen, so I guess it wouldn't work anyway."

"But this is a different universe, like you said," Timora countered. "Things aren't the same here as they are there."

"So, what? I just say things and it happens?"

"Maybe."

Ally though for a second. "Jack Frost knows where we are."

"That's it?" I was a little surprised. "You're not going to get us out of here?"

"Something tells me I shouldn't do that," Ally responded. "Besides, maybe we'll find out who the other person of the Legend is."

Jack's POV

Gone. How could she be gone? I couldn't believe she was taken again. But this time I had no idea where she was and who had her. Suddenly, I halted in the sky as something crashed into my mind. I knew where Elsa was, and who had her; it was Jake and Isla. How was I supposed rescue her, though? I was sure Jake and Isla would be watching over her like a hawk.

But if I could find some sort of way to be invisible, then I could sneak in. I hoped I would find something like that soon, before my Snowflake died, and without me there.

Elsa's POV

Several hours had passed, and Shade had gone, not wanting to be caught talking to us. I was lying on my makeshift bed when soft humming reached my ears. It was pretty, but I didn't recognise the tune. It took a few minutes, but I realized it was Ally.

"That's very pretty," I complimented.

The humming broke off abruptly. "Thanks." Ally's voice was shy. "I'll stop if you want me to."

"It's alright," I told her. "Why were you humming?"

"Music comforts me," she responded simply. "I don't know when or if I'm going to get home, so I hum to help my feelings."

There was a short silence before I spoke again. "Are you trying to supress them?"

"You could say that," she mumbled.

"Why? If people know how you feel about something, then they can get to know you better."

Ally chuckled. "Leave it to me to make a character I take advice from. You see, I don't show people my real feelings, because I don't want them to take advantage of me. I don't want them to know the real me."

"I suppose no one will know the person you really are until you have complete trust in them," I said. "And a little part of you still wonders when you will be betrayed."

"Exactly. I guess you would know that better than me. I wonder if I have a roll to play in this universe, and I wonder if Jack really got that message."

Something cold hit my nose, and I opened my eyes. Snowflakes were coming in through the vent in my window. I smiled. Jack.

"I'm pretty sure he did," I murmured.

A swirl of snowflakes suddenly came through, making a form at the center of the room; Jack. "Hey, Elsa. I'm flying over the place right now, trying to find a way inside, but Jake and Isla have it pretty secure. I only have a few minutes to receive a message back before my magic is overrun, so I suggest you tell me quickly." The figure then went silent, looking at me expectantly.

"Quick, Ally, what can you remember of your characters that would help us?" I said frantically.

"Tell him to find Shade, Illusion, and Forge," Ally replied. "Shade first, then he will find the others. Illusion and Forge don't really know what Jake and Isla are up to, and won't like what they're really doing."

I turned back to the snowflake Jack. "Find someone named Shade, he looks like Luke, but he's Jake and Isla's son. Tell him to find Illusion and Forge, they should follow to release us. Whatever you do, don't come in here, powers blazing; there are children in here."

Snowflake Jack nodded, and reached for my face lovingly, before flying back to the vent, and out. My heart ached as much as my ribs did; I needed to be with my family for as long as I could before I really died, and I couldn't do that while in here.

"Timora," Ally spoke, "Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm afraid not," Timora responded quietly, as though in disappointment. "My powers are turned off in these cells too. We'll just have to wait for Jack Frost's help."

Jack's POV

A hurricane of snowflakes returned to me, appearing in Elsa's form, and telling me what I needed to do, before vanishing away. I pondered for a second, hovering in the air. How was I supposed to find this Shade? And even if I found him and the other boys who were supposed to help, how were we supposed to do it when there were, no doubt, more allies that Jake and Isla had? Maybe the little allies we had could provide a distraction?

I didn't know how, but I had to find Shade so we could work something out. I decided that I should probably not be drawing attention to myself by flying for all to see, and let myself drop to the ground. I crept around the small hill, in which was a door that I assumed led down to where Elsa was held, and whoever else Jake and Isla were holding. I was lucky that the vent entrance I had found was Elsa's and not someone I didn't know, if it led to a person in the first place.

As I watched the door, a young man opened it and stepped out. He looked like Luke, but wearing a black T-shirt, jeans, and shoes. His hair was black, his eyes a glowing violet, and shadows seemed to wreathe around him; it was Shade.

"Shade!" I hissed. Shade's head jerked up and twisted around, looking for the source of the voice. "Over here!"

Shade glanced around to make sure we were alone before climbing into the bushes with me. "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Jack, and Elsa told me you might be a help to get her and whoever else out of there."

Shade looked uncertain. "I don't know. If I'm found out, my parents will be really angry, and then we may never get them free."

"I was told Forge and Illusion might help," I shared. "Who are they?"

Shade looked thoughtful. "Illusion has the power to vanish into his surroundings, and Forge can make weapons out of his arms and hands and fingers. We need to figure something out, and fast. You don't want to know what they're planning to do."

My face deadpanned. "I think I do."

Shade hesitated. "They're going to wait until Elsa dies, then… do what bad guys always want to do: take over the world with their darkness."

My throat closed. I had to save Elsa, for all I knew, they had a way for the legend to move faster. I only had two and a half weeks as it was.

Suddenly, I knew what to do. "Okay, here's the plan."

Shade turned to me, intrigue and slight hope in his eyes.

Illusion's POV

I sat at the round table in the library with Forge. Ember was pinning Contortia to the wall opposite us, flirting with her, and Contortia wasn't objecting. I was twirling a silver coin around with my fingers, not knowing really what to do.

"You okay, man?" Forge asked.

I nodded, not turning to him, still twirling the coin. I didn't know why I remained as quiet as I did. Just a quirk I guess, having to stay quiet because I turned invisible all the time, and doing it when I was visible was a waste of time and energy.

"No, you're not," Forge objected. "You're messing with that coin again, you always do that when you're nervous. Now, tell me, what's wrong?"

A faint smile tugged at my lips at Forge's persistence. He was the only one I felt I could talk to, the only one I actually _did_ talk to. He never gave up, at anything! Which I guess was why I liked him so much.

I looked at him, and glanced at the back of the library. Forge got the message, and rose from his seat, walking to the back. I waited, then went invisible and followed.

"Okay, now are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Forge questioned.

"Keep your voice down," I muttered. "Something isn't right with Jake and Isla."

"Of course, there isn't! They explained that to us when Contortia brought Elsa in. Pitch made them in Jack and Elsa's stead, so they could join him and help him battle the Guardians."

"No, something else. I don't like what they're making us do," I admitted, hoping I wasn't giving myself away. "It's not right to kidnap people, and Elsa's dying!"

"I agree," Forge confessed. "I hate it here, and would like to help, but I don't want to be found out."

"I think I can help with that," Shade said as he appeared out of a shadow. "I just met with Elsa's husband, Jack, and he said he has a plan."

"What is it, then?" Forge asked eagerly. "What can we do to help?"

"This is crazy!" Forge exclaimed in a whisper.

"You were the one who volunteered, remember?" I teased. "Now, go already!"

Forge groaned. "Why do I have to be the distraction?"

"Because you're not the guy who can turn invisible and open the cell doors." I gave Forge a little shove. "Go on. And, Forge?" He turned to me one last time. "Be careful."

Forge gave a small grin. "I'm the one with literal man-made weapons. I'll be fine. But, thanks, anyway. You be careful too, buddy."

I smiled and went invisible, walking to the outside door, and out, to the bush Shade had described to me. We had had to wait for the next night to free the prisoners because we didn't want Jake and Isla to think we were doing something suspicious, which we were.

"Jack?" I whispered as I went visible, so he could see me. "Where are you?"

"I'm over here." He stepped out from the bushes. He looked exactly like Jake, but also completely different. His sweater was blue, his pants brown, and his hair was a silvery-white, his eyes an icy-blue. "Are you ready?"

I held out a hand. "Are you?"

He grabbed my hand. "Anything for my Snowflake."

"Just as a warning, it will be weird to not see your body," I told him. "Remember to breathe quietly, and not speak unless completely necessary. I will lead you to where the prisoners are being held."

Jack nodded, and I went invisible, with Jack vanishing beside me. He gave a small gasp at not seeing any of him, but then went silent. I walked him through the door and down the tunnel until the ground levelled out, and we were walking down a long corridor. I led us through the many twists and turns of the underground lair until we came up to a dead end.

I pressed a hand against the wall, and it wavered to show the corridor of the cells. Father Time and his son Timothy were in the closest cell to the right, with Timora beside he father's. A few cells up were Elsa's on the far left, and the girl with wings directly ahead.

Jack let out a little cry at how pale Elsa was. She was already naturally pale, but now she was as white a paper. She was lying on the makeshift bed all the cells had, trying to keep the pain in her chest at bay, but I guessed it wasn't working.

Jack let go of my hand, and rushed up to Elsa's cell, banging on the glass. "Elsa!"

Her eyes flashed open, and she turned her head, and smiled when she saw who was there. "Jack," she breathed.

"Don't worry," he said. "We're gonna get you out of there." He glanced at me, worry clear on his face.

I pressed my hand against the glass, and it slid away, leaving Jack to rush into the cell to Elsa's side. The girl in the cell to my right lifted her head.

She smiled. "I knew you'd help."

I let her out of her cell, and then opened Father Time's and Timora's cells.

Timora's blind blue eyes jerked around unseeing, but also seeing everything. "We must hurry!" she exclaimed. "There isn't time to stand around!"

Jack walked down the hall, carrying Elsa bridal-style. "We're good to go."

"We have to get the shadowstone," Timora cut in.

"Why?" I asked.

Timora's gaze moved toward my voice. "Trust me." Her hair was a mixture of dark blue and purple, a sign that she was calm, but that she also knew something.

I nodded, turning to everyone. "We have to be very quiet now," I murmured. "I don't have enough hands to turn us all invisible, so we're going to have to creep out of here unseen somehow."

We walked in single file, me in the lead, and Jack in the rear. It was all going smoothly, until, I caught sight of Forge running toward me. His tanned face was white with panic, but filled with triumph. He held out a silver chain with a smooth black stone hanging from it; the shadowstone. It took me a second to realise what he was running from until he got closer. Jake and Isla were chasing him, but Shade, Ember and Contortia were nowhere to be seen.

"I got it!" he cried.

I nearly chuckled. Good old Forge.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Elsa fretted.

Forge's left arm turned into a cannon and he aimed it for the stone roof. He fired, and a large hole exploded open. He thrust the shadowstone into my hand, turned his arms into jets, grabbed me, and shot into the sky. I looked back to see the girl with wings soaring behind us, Jack carrying Elsa with his arms, and Father Time floating on a large clock with Timothy and Timora.

"Where's Shade?" I questioned.

"He decided to stay behind," Forge responded. "Said it would be good to have a guy on the inside."

I nodded in understanding. We would need someone who could tell us what Jake and Isla were up to. Who knew if there was something deeper that we didn't yet understand.


	7. Chapter 6 The Student

Chapter 6 The Student

Third Person

"Why did you let them get away?" Ember demanded, glaring at Jake and Isla.

"Simple," Jake answered. "We didn't need them anymore. We knew Jack would come here eventually, and that opened up a spot for Isla."

"For Isla to do what?" Ember was furious, as was evident by his smoking hands, and nearly flaming eyes. "With Elsa here, we could have had the Legend work in our favour. But thanks to you, they escaped."

"You said it yourself, we let them get away." Isla was smirking, as was Contortia. "We have what we want, and if we play our cards right, the Legend will still work in our favour."

Ember glanced from Isla, to Jake, to Contortia. "What aren't you telling me? Especially you, Contortia. What did you guys do?"

Isla pulled a figure into their little circle. The figure was bound hand and foot, with a gag in its mouth, and it looked terrified. Contortia morphed into someone very familiar, someone who had just escaped.

"Oh," Ember murmured, realization dawning on him. "I should never have doubted you."

"See that you don't," Jake growled. "Or the same might happen to you as well."

Jack's POV

"So, uh, where are we going?" Forge inquired, breaking the hour-long silence.

"The North Pole," I answered without turning.

"You know the rest of us can feel cold, right?" Ally reminded me. "And some of us can't fly continually. Namely me."

I slowed down my pace. She was right. I had been so intent in helping Elsa, I hadn't even thought about the others. I turned my head to look at them. Ally looked exhausted, Forge appeared tired from holding Illusion for so long, and Father Time was struggling to hold up his floating clock.

I sighed. "Alright. We'll stop at Jamie's to get a snow globe." I flew for another ten minutes before lowering myself and Elsa down in Jamie's backyard.

Jamie burst out of his house at the sight of us. "Jack!" he cried. "Tessa's been taken!"

The world froze, and mine and Elsa's breath stopped. "By who?" I questioned. "Who took her?"

"Someone who looked like Elsa," Jamie reported. "She lured her into a shadow, and I haven't seen her since. I'm sorry. I tried to take care of her like you asked, but I failed."

"It's alright, Jamie," I told him. "It's not your fault. It's someone else's." The last words came out in a growl. "And she is going to pay if she's done something to hurt my little girl."

"We should get to North," Elsa gasped out. "Maybe the other Guardians will know what to do."

"Good idea, Snowflake." I turned to Jamie again. "You still have the snow globe, don't you? The one I gave you for emergencies?"

Jamie nodded his head vigorously. "Yes! I'll go get it!" He rushed into his house, returning a short time later. "I got it!" He handed it to me, then seemed to take notice of the others. "Woah, who are all you guys? No. Way." He walked up to Forge, slowly as though Forge might explode if Jamie got too close. "Do you have jet-pack arms?"

"I sure do," Forge confirmed.

"That's awesome!" Jamie breathed.

Forge grinned at Illusion. "I like this kid."

"Okay, everyone!" I called to get their attention. "We have to go. Thanks, Jamie. We'll let you know when we find Tessa." I whispered: 'the North Pole' into the globe and threw it on the ground. "You guys coming?" I asked Forge and Illusion, who were hanging back from the vortex.

Forge shook his head. "I'm gonna stay here and protect the little dude. Who knows if Jake and Isla will come after him as well."

"I'll stay here too," Illusion added. "I can keep us hidden from people who don't need to see us."

"We're coming, though," Father Time said. "We'll get a way back to Bentley from there."

I nodded. "Alright. Everybody in, then."

Once everybody else had gone through the vortex, I carried Elsa in and found ourselves in the main room of the Workshop. Ally was looking around in wonder, while the Time family was just nodding and looking impressed.

"Jack!" North boomed as he came into the room. "What are you all doing here? Oh…" His voice trailed off at the sight of Elsa.

"Oh, come on, North. Don't give me that," Elsa chided softly. "It's probably only half as worse as it looks."

North smiled. "Hello, Father Time."

"It's been a long time, old friend." Father Time clapped North on the shoulder. "We were hoping to use one of those snow globes to get home to Bentley."

"Sure, you can." North handed him a snow globe. "It was good to see you again. Maybe we could meet up sometime soon."

"Father, I'm going to stay here," Timora announced. "I think I'm needed here more than I am back home."

"Are you sure, Tima?" Timothy asked, looking up at his sister. "We could have lots of games at home."

Timora smiled, and bent down to where her brother's voice came from. "I'm sure we would, Timmy. But I think I need to help the Guardians for now. Save a game for me."

"I will," Timothy promised.

Ally's POV

As Father Time and Timothy went through the portal, the spiral hooked onto an elf and was flung right toward me. My hands flew up to protect my face, but nothing hit me. I looked up to see an amber-coloured oval surrounding me. When I put my hands down, the bubble vanished.

"What happened?" I asked, glancing around.

"It appears you have magic," Elsa murmured in soft surprise.

"I have magic?" I stared at my hands. "I have magic!" I flung my hands out, not knowing Jack was standing right behind me. My hand went into his chest, and as I jerked it back, a glowing, pink, human heart was in it. Jack gasped at the sudden pain and nearly dropped Elsa. Amazement and horror fought their way to my expression. "Oh, I am so sorry! I didn't – I mean, I – oh, goodness, just – here!" I shoved his heart back in his chest, causing Jack to gasp again.

"Okay, that was strange," Bunny muttered as he came up to us. "Hope I never see that again."

"Hello, Ally," North addressed me. "I didn't expect to see you here."

I grinned sheepishly at him. "Hi, North. Well, I didn't expect to be dragged in here by Isla, either."

North seemed to be looking me over. "I think you're going to need this."

He pulled from his pocket a necklace. It was an orangish-yellow stone on a golden chain. It looked like the pendants I had created for Elsa, Rosalee, Raya, and Heidi, but instead of a crystal, the stone was oval-shaped.

"What is it?" I asked. "I don't remember anything like this in here."

North smiled. "This is the energy pendant. It appeared a few days ago on my desk, with a note from Mani explaining what it was. He knows who you are and what you need to do, even if you don't."

I chuckled. "Of course, he does; I made him that way. The God of this universe. Am I supposed to take it?"

North nodded. "Here."

He handed me the pendant, and I took it, placing it around my neck. At once, I felt as though my power had been channeled into the stone, like it had been looking for a home and had found it.

"Thanks," I said to North. "Maybe this will help control it. I haven't had wings before, much less, magic!"

Jack cleared his throat. "Okay, can we redirect the conversation to something important now? Elsa's getting worse. Is there something you can do to slow it down, North?"

North sadly shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't. This is too powerful for even Mani to change."

"Well, that and Tessa's gone," Elsa added in a murmur.

The Guardians were now paying attention.

"What do you mean?" Bunny demanded.

"Is it really that difficult to get through your thick kangaroo skull?!" Jack snapped. "She's gone! Poof, disappeared, nowhere to be found. What else do you want me to say?"

It appeared as though Bunny was having a hard time controlling his temper. But he seemed to understand where Jack was coming from, so he didn't respond.

"Jack, you need to calm down," Tooth suggested, hovering over to him and Elsa. "I'm sure Tessa's alright."

"You're so sure, are you?" Jack retorted. "You don't know where she is, or who she's with, or if she's even still alive! You can't know how I feel. How Elsa feels."

I walked right up to Jack, and, not caring at all what happened to me because of it, slapped him across the face as hard as I could. The sound of it echoed around the workshop. His face, which had been its normal pale complexion before, was now a slight pink.

"What did you do that for?" Jack demanded.

I slapped him again, in the same place, with the same strength. "Snap out of it, Jackson Overland Frost! She's not going to die!"

"How do you know?!" Jack was so angry his eyes flashed with icy fire. "You're just a little girl."

I was seething now. "Yes, a little girl who _created you_. Tessa will be fine, because I wouldn't kill her. Anyone who read my last book would know that she grows old and has a granddaughter named Emily in honour of Volcana's human name. Now shut up, you big baby, and let the grown-ups do the talking!"

Everyone was silent with shock at what had just happened. I could tell from how hot my face was, that it was a tomato red, as it always got when I was angry enough. Bunny looked like he wanted to laugh at the fact that I had silenced Jack like that, but North gave him a glare that shut him up.

"What we _do_ know is that she's with Jake and Isla," Timora said, breaking the silence. "And the worse they can do is put her in a cell like they did the rest of us."

"Can't you see what's happening there?" I asked her.

Timora shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Their entire base is like the cell; no power can see into it, but they can see out."

"Like a two-way mirror," I supplied.

"Exactly," Timora agreed.

I suddenly remembered something I wish I hadn't added into my book. "Timora, how often did you use your time power in there?"

"Quite a bit, why?" She looked wary, as she could hear the panic in my voice.

"I'm sure you all remember Contortia? She's the girl who made herself look like Raya to kidnap Elsa." A few heads around the room nodded. "She only knows how to change into someone else if she knows enough about them. For example, she knew enough to become Raya, because Ember, Raya's brother, is working for Jake and Isla. Once she knows enough about the person, she can also replicate the power they may or may not have."

Timora paled. "So, by me using my power so often with her around…"

"Contortia would be able to transform into you, and use your time powers," I finished.

"How would Contortia use them? What properties does Timora's powers have?" North asked.

I looked to Jack and Elsa, a severely worried look on my face. "She can look into the past, present, and future," I replied. "As well as make someone or something younger or older."

Jack and Elsa's naturally pale faces went white as paper. "Tessa," they breathed.

Shade's POV

"What are you going to do to me?" Tessa's voice quivered with fear.

Ember's grin was inhuman. "We're going to let you be an example of what we can do to people who… let's just say… don't listen to us."

Tessa swallowed. "And how are you going to do that?"

Ember looked to his right. "Contortia?"

Contortia was in the form of Timora, her hair a spattering of black, purple, and yellow; the colours of danger, knowledge of power, and joy. She was frowning. "Why does the girl I impersonate have to be blind?"

"Don't worry, the girl we need to change is in front of you," Ember assured her. "Just reach out your hand, and do as we practiced."

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" I inquired.

"Getting cold feet, Dark?" Ember taunted.

I made sure my face didn't betray the sick feeling I had in my stomach. "Not at all. I'm just wondering if this will happen to Isabella."

"It won't," Ember responded. "We made sure of it."

I gave a sharp nod, and went silent, not wanting my voice to show how I really felt about the who ordeal.

Ember put the gag back over Tessa's mouth, then turned his face to look at Contortia. "Do it."

A sinister smile snaked across her face, and she stretched her hand to place it on Tessa's forcefully bowed head. Immediately, the girl began to thrash under the hand and scream against her gag. Whatever was happening, it was causing Tessa to be in extreme pain. Her arms and legs grew longer, as the rest of her body matured. By the time Ember told Contortia to stop, Tessa was a young woman about the same age as Shade.

After he put Tessa in her own cell, Shade barely made it to a bathroom before he threw up.


	8. Chapter 7 Among Shadows

Chapter 7 Among Shadows

Shade's POV

When I was finally able to, I made my way down the corridor to Tessa's cell. The girl – now woman – was sitting on her bed, her back to the wall, her head on her knees with her arms around her head. Her shoulders shook as though she were crying.

I placed a hand on the glass, peering in at her. "Tessa?"

Her head snapped up, her hand rushing to wipe the tears from her face. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be doing something horrid to someone else?"

"I never wanted Ember and Contortia to do that to you," I murmured.

"But you let it happen," she pointed out. "You didn't stop them."

"I couldn't blow my cover." Her expression changed to that of faint curiosity. "I'm helping the Guardians. I'm being their spy."

She raised an eyebrow, looking exactly like her mother as she did so. "And I'm supposed to believe you? How do I know you're not tricking me to make me tell you something to betray the Guardians?"

"You don't," I replied. "You're just gonna have to trust me."

She shifted on her bed, so her wings weren't in a cramped position. "I don't know if I can do that."

I shrugged. "And that's fine. I'll win it somehow." I looked at her closer. "How come you still have that pendant? What is it for?"

Tessa lifted the silver stone to look at it. "It's called a glowstone. It's part of a Legend that will… why should I tell you? Like I said, you might just be here to gain information."

"And you could be right about that," I agreed. "But I already know about the glowstone. It's part of a Legend that says you need the glowstone and the shadowstone to help two friends defeat the darkness, and save your mother."

The pendant fell back against her chest as she sighed. "You're right about that," she admitted. "We don't know who the shadowstone belongs to, though."

I smiled at her. "The good news is, my friends and your parents should be examining it to see who it belongs to right now." Something occurred to me. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself; I'm Shade, Isabella's brother."

Tessa's face brightened for a second, then crumpled as realization hit her. "I'm now _fifteen_ years older than her. And my parents, what will they think of me?"

"I think they'll love you just as much as they already have," I assured her. "I wish mine would feel the same."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents never intended to have me. No, not like that," I added at Tessa's pitying expression. "My mother is linked to yours. Meaning that when Elsa was pregnant, so was Isla."

Tessa jerked up so fast, she lost a few feathers. "Your mother is _Isla_?!"

I nodded. "And I'm just like her, aren't I?" I shook my head as I sighed. "I never wanted to be _evil_ like they are. Evil isn't born, it's made. And I certainly don't want to be evil; I'd rather be good and fight _with_ the Guardians, not _against_ them."

"'One must be born, birthed in darkness, seeking light'," Tessa mumbled.

"I'm sorry?"

Tessa looked at me with an astonished look on her face. "Open my cell."

"What?"

"Open my cell," she insisted. "I have an idea."

Glancing down the corridor, I did as she asked, and the young woman stepped forward, holding out her silver pendant. It began to glow and move around, as though searching for something. When it didn't find what it was looking for, the glow dimmed, and the pendant lowered back against Tessa's chest.

Tessa stared at me with an amazed expression on her face. "You're the one birthed in darkness," she whispered. "The shadowstone belongs to _you_."

Tessa's POV

After I had told Shade the shadowstone belonged to him, he vanished into shadows, leaving me alone in my cell. I waited for him to appear as he had before, but he didn't, and I sat back down on my pallet.

It must've been the next morning when I heard a tap on the glass again. I rose from lying down and turned to the glass to see Shade. He held a tray of food in one hand, and a canteen of water in the other.

The glass opened, and Shade set the tray down inside my cell. "I made it myself; to make sure it wasn't poisoned, or drugged, or something." He was stumbling over his words, clearly not comfortable with me being there. He wasn't the only one.

I didn't move. "How am I to know you didn't do something to it yourself?"

"You don't. But I didn't, promise."

I didn't trust him in the least, but I sat up and rested my bare feet on the cold stone floor. I stood up, the pale silver dress I had awoken in falling to just beneath my knees, and padded over to the tray of food. I was starving, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

"Thank you," I managed stiffly. "For the food."

Shade smiled, the familiar gesture reminding me of my father. "You're welcome." He stepped away from me, the glass once again sliding into position. As Shade turned to leave, he glanced back again one last time, before walking a few steps and disappearing into shadow.

A few days went by. Shade continued to bring me my meals, assuring me time and again that nothing dangerous was in them. On the second day, he brought me a surprise. A pad of paper and a pen. For me to entertain myself, he said. The pen never ran out of ink, and the pad was always full of paper. I used my pen and paper to journal whatever I thought, even if the thoughts seemed strange to myself.

It was on the fourth day that I finally snapped, seeing no one but Shade for the past ninety-six hours.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. "You can't keep coming here like this! You're going to get into trouble!"

"You should get outside to stretch your wings." Shade glanced down the hall. "You're going to have to trust me."

"Oh really? I've only known you for a few days. How am I supposed to trust you?"

He gave me a small grin. "That's why it's called trust, Tessa."

I sighed and shook my head. "I suppose you're right. Okay, I'll give you a chance."

Shade opened the glass wall, resting his hands on my shoulders, and causing them to tense up. "Put your hands on my shoulders," he directed. I did. "Good. Now, whatever you do, don't let go."

We vanished in a puff of shadow, the rush of air in our ears, and an accidental gasp of shock from me. Before a few seconds had passed, we halted, and the shadows surrounding us pulled away from me, and wreathed around Shade again.

I turned slowly in a circle, catching my breath, while Shade stood and watched me. We were somewhere outside of the underground lair, in a clearing with trees around us. I smiled in wonder of the beauty of simple nature, taking a deep breath of the fresh air for the first time in too long.

I rolled my shoulders and stretched out my wings, grimacing at the stiff muscles, and testing the new weight of them. "Okay, here I go."

"Wait!" I looked to Shade, puzzled at the look of panic on his face. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to fly," I stated as though it was obvious. "What else would I be doing? Isn't this why you brought me out here?"

"I – just want you to be careful," he cautioned. "You don't know how different it's going to be from when you were younger."

I hesitated. "I guess you're right." I rose my wings, then let them slowly fall to the ground, before doing the cycle again and again, stretching my muscles, and getting used to the weight. I looked to Shade again. "Can I fly now?" I teased.

Shade smirked a little. "As long as you're careful."

I flapped my wings hard, rising slowly but surely into the air. I pulled on the air with my wings, making myself go higher until I was able to hover at the treeline. I gazed around, not recognising anything around me, but smiling at being in the air again after such a long time of not. I looked down to see Shade, a dark smudge on the green grass below me.

I tucked my wings in, falling until I was a few feet from the ground before pulling them out again to stop a foot from the ground. Shade's eyes were wide, but he relaxed once I was safely on the ground again.

"Well?" he prompted. "How was it? How were your wings?"

I was breathless with tiredness, and excitement. "Great!" I breathed. "It was so nice to get back in the air again, and these wings let me go higher much faster."

Shade smiled. "I'm glad. But we should get back before you're missed from your cell. Ready?"

I put my hands back on his shoulders and nodded. Shadows covered us once again, air rushed around my ears, and then silence as we appeared in the stone hall again. I let my hands fall to my side as Shade opened my cell.

"Thanks for letting me do that, Shade." I smiled at him for the first time as I stepped into the cell.

"You're welcome."

Jack's POV

I looked down at Elsa in my arms, and my heart caved. The only other time I had seen her in such pain, was when I had brought her to that hospital after she had died. There, her ribs had healed, but because time was moving in reverse, her ribs were slowly, and painfully breaking again. She managed a small smile, as though to tell me it was alright, when I knew it really wasn't.

"Should we call Pitch?" Ally suggested. "He might know who the one born in darkness is."

"And you would be wrong about that, Alli –"

Ally whipped around, waving her arms frantically. "My name is _Ally_ , Pitch."

The grey-skinned man looked puzzled for a second, then nodded. "I'm afraid I do not know who the shadowstone belongs to."

Volcana appeared beside him. "Neither do I. Hi, Alli –"

" _Ally_ ," the girl insisted again. "It's called a pseudonym."

"A-alright." She looked as confused as Pitch, but she turned to North, who held the shadowstone. "Maybe the stone will tell us who it belongs to. Could I have the stone please?"

North looked sceptical. "How do we know you're not one of Jake and Isla's henchmen in disguise?"

Ally seemed to get an idea. "What was your human name?"

"Emily."

Ally seemed satisfied. "She's good! Now, Pitch, your turn. What was _your_ human name?"

"Peter."

Ally gave a single nod. "Okay, go, North. They're clean."

North handed the shadowstone to Volcana. It floated in her open palm for a second, before lowering back to her skin, as though disappointed she wasn't its owner.

Volcana looked around at everyone. "We need to remember who was born in darkness, or from darkness. Such as Raya." The stone was still. "Ember." Nothing.

"Jake," Pitch tried. "Isla." Again, nothing.

"Isla had children," Elsa whispered.

"Thanks, Snowflake," I murmured. I raised my head. "Elsa says Isla had children."

Ally face-palmed. "Of course! I forgot about them! Isabella." The stone glowed a little, then went its regular black again. Ally smiled. "Of course, I would choose him," she muttered. "Shade."

The black stone glowed a deep purple colour, and rose from Volcana's palm to rest in Ally's, the girl's eyes now wide. "You're a long way from home, Allison," a voice boomed. "You shouldn't be tampering with things that need to happen by themselves."

"I-I'm not!" Ally exclaimed. "Who-who are you?"

The voice chuckled, settling down to reveal it was male. "You know who I am. And I know more than anyone that tampering with fate may only make things worse. Watch what you do."

Ally's POV

"What are we supposed to do about my wife and daughter?" Jack demanded once the voice had gone.

"Just chill, Jack, I'm thinking," I told him. "I think we'll need to go back to Jamie's to get Illusion and Forge, so we can rescue Tessa. And Elsa needs her pendant back. We should also tell Heidi and Raya about what's happening. If I know someone based on me, she won't be very happy to learn she's missing out on things. Nor will her mother."

We rounded up Forge and Illusion, then went to Arendelle, appearing in the infamous ballroom. However, it wasn't empty. Wedding things were _everywhere_ , and Heidi and Anna were running around, with Andrew and Kristoff at the doors, looking exhausted.

"What if we put the chairs here, the tables for the food here…" Heidi trailed off as she noticed us in the middle of the ballroom. "Uh, hi! Who are – Uncle Jack! Aunt Elsa!" She rushed over to them, a deeply concerned look on her face as she took in her aunt. "What happened to you?"

"Affects of the legend," Elsa murmured. "It shouldn't be for much longer, though."

"What do you mean by that, Elsa?" Anna asked her sister. "You'll be fine!"

"I'm not so sure about that. We only have a couple weeks left before –"

"We only have one," I interjected. "We were at the North Pole for a day. We really need to find Shade and Tessa."


	9. Chapter 8 Escape and Improsonment

**Hey, guys. Sorry I wasn't able to upload like I was planning to yesterday. School sucks, plain and simple. Anyway, I hope you like these last two chapters!**

 **Buh-Bye!**

Chapter 8 Escape and Imprisonment

Illusion's POV

"Why don't we use the shadowstone to find them?" Forge suggested. "It would be connected to him, wouldn't it?"

Ally appeared to think for a second, before facing Forge with an interested look. "You could be right. Who has the shadowstone?"

"I do." Timora held out the black stone, its silver chain hanging from her outstretched hand.

Ally walked over and took the pendant from the girl. "Thank you, Timora." Ally focussed on the black stone. "Can you guide us to Shade?"

The stone glowed a dark purple, perhaps in agreement. A small cat without hair and bulging pale eyes appeared, and seemed to glare at Ally.

"What are you doing, Allison?" the cat demanded, surprising me that he could speak.

"Rock!" Ally recognised this disgusting cat? "What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to help these people!"

"You aren't meant to do things for them," Rock said. "Just because you are their creator doesn't mean you can direct it your way. You have to let things play out."

"I don't even know what happens, Rock!" Ally retorted. "Sure, I know a few things, but it's not like I'm going to tell them! I know they have to live their own lives. I'm not stupid."

The frown the cat had seemed to be permanent, and I wondered how he appeared to see Ally, when he was obviously blind. "You make a character that was like me, only the opposite gender, and you expect me not to protest? Do things yourself for once. Actually, don't, because this isn't your story, it's theirs." He flicked his bare tail at us. "You cannot change fate, Allison. No matter how much I know you wish you could."

"Get out of my universe, cat," Ally spat, surprising everyone with her tone. This was a being that seemed to have a lot of power, and she spoke to it as though she were severely angry at him for some reason, and didn't care about what Rock thought. "Go bother the Three with pointless speeches or something."

The bald cat appeared to glare at Ally one last time, before vanishing.

"What are you going to do now?" I asked Ally.

"Find Shade and Tessa, of course," Ally responded as though it were obvious. "I'm not going to let some spirit tell me what to do! Can you show us to Shade and Tessa?" she questioned the black stone again.

It glowed once again, a door shimmering into existence. Or, I thought it was a door. Now that it was solid, I could see it looked like the jail cells Forge and I had used to put several of our new friends in. I stepped forward, ready to get Shade, but Ally held up a hand.

"Wait." I did. Ally went up to the portal thing, placing her hand on what would be the glass casing of the cell. The air around her hand rippled, as though she had put it in water. "One goes in, one comes out."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Ally turned to me. "I will need to go in to get them out, but only I can get back out through the portal. I need two other people to come with me, who won't return this way."

I didn't even think. "I'll go," I offered immediately.

"So will I," Forge added.

I looked to him, surprised. "I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking." Forge put a hand on my shoulder. "Shade is my friend too. I want him and Tessa to get out. I'm helping. We can figure out a way to escape together."

I smiled at him, then at Ally. "Let's go," I told her.

Ally smiled back, as though she knew something I didn't, and turned, walking through the portal. Forge and I followed her, my stomach turning at the weird sensation. We appeared right before Tessa's cell, and she looked up as we appeared.

"It's about time you came with – who are you?" she questioned.

"I'm Ally." Ally put a hand on her chest. "And these are Illusion and Forge. We've come to get you out. Where's Shade?"

"He'll be coming any moment now with my breakfast," Tessa responded.

Sure enough, Shade came a few seconds later, through the double doors that led to the cells. He looked very surprised to see me and Forge there, then pleased.

"Jailbreak?" was all he said.

Forge grinned at him. "Jailbreak," he confirmed.

Shade grinned back. He pressed his hand against the glass of Tessa's cell, opening it.

Tessa walked out. "What do we do?"

"You and Shade walk through the weird doorway over there," I directed, pointing to the shimmering rectangle.

"Aren't you coming?" Shade asked.

Forge shook his head. "Go on without us. We'll follow when we can."

Ally gave the pair a little shove, guiding them to the portal. "Come on. We need to get out of here before Jake and Isla find out you're gone."

"Good luck out there, you guys," I wished, giving them a smile.

Ally gave Forge and me a single nod, before following Shade and Tessa through the magic doorway, with it vanishing once she did.

"I guess it's just us, huh?" I said to Forge, looking at him.

"What do you think they're going to do to us?" For the first time since I met him, Forge looked terrified.

Without thinking, I reached out and took his hand. "It'll be fine," I tried to assure him. "At least we're here to help one another, and neither of us is alone."

Forge glanced down at his hand in mine, and to my surprise, squeezed it. "You're right. I'm glad you're with me, Illusion."

"Me too," I answered.

Ember and Contortia burst through the doors, anger clear on their faces.

Forge gripped my hand. "This is it," he whispered.

Shade's POV

As soon as Ally had stepped through the portal behind Tessa and me, the rectangle disappeared; Forge and Illusion were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are Forge and Illusion?" I inquired.

Ally glanced over her shoulder, as though she could see the pair behind her. "They stayed behind. The portal was specific so that however many went in could return. No more, no less."

"They sacrificed themselves for us?" Tessa realized. "Why would they do that? They didn't even know me!"

Ally's smile was grim. "They knew the cost. But they knew what needed to be done to finish the Legend."

"And they were foolish to do so," a voice spat.

I turned, and my heart sank to my toes.

Illusion's POV

When I awoke, I couldn't move. I opened my eyes to see that I was chained up in the air. My arms and legs were splayed so I made an 'X'. I looked right to see that Forge was chained the same way beside me. Glancing around, I didn't recognise the room, and saw that there was only one door.

Forge slowly moved his head to face me, showing me a black-and-blue face. "Hey, buddy," he murmured. "How ya doin'?"

"What did they _do_ to you?" I questioned, horrified.

"Oh, it's nothing." Forge was trying to be brave. "They wanted me to talk, and I said no. This is the punishment for saying no."

My stomach roiled, bile rising in my throat. "Are they going to come back?"

"Probably." Forge sounded exhausted.

Not a few seconds later, Ember and Contortia came through the door before us.

"How are the traitors doing?" Ember asked. "Comfy?" He nodded at me and Forge. "Good. Contortia and I were hoping we could ask you a few questions. Would that be okay?"

Forge and I didn't make a sound.

"We'll take that as a yes," Contortia said. "Now, can you tell us where Shade and Tessa are?" We remained silent. Contortia shook her head in disappointment. "We were hoping you would be willing to help us. I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way."

She walked up to me, lifting my chin with her hand, and smirking at me. "Let's see what the best thing to do to you is. Hurt you? Torture you? _Kill_ you?" I didn't respond, my betraying eyes flicking to Forge. Contortia picked up on it right away. "Or hurting Forge?" She moved to stand before Forge.

My mouth went dry. "Don't hurt him."

Contortia morphed to that of Raya. She stretched out a hand, flame dancing in it. "Well, Illusion? Are you going to talk to save your friend?"

She moved her hand closer to Forge, who was sweating in absolute fear. The flame licked at his skin and he screamed.

I jerked on my chains, wanting so bad to help him. "No, don't hurt him, please!" Contortia extinguished her flames.

Forge gasped for breath. "Don't worry about me, Illusion. I'll be fine. Just don't say a thing."

Contortia pressed her hands to her chest. "Aw! How sweet! Friends are so caring to one another! Too bad it was all for nothing." Ember didn't say anything, simply leaning on the nearby wall with his arms crossed, and a look of approval on his face.

My mind flew through possible escapes, finally landing on a plan. Would it work? I tried turning some of one finger invisible, and it worked. This was it. The plan had to succeed. Forge would die if it didn't.

Forge screamed once again, Contortia's flame on half of his face now.

Tears finally snaked down my face. "Please don't hurt him," I begged. "I'll talk. I'll talk."

"Illusion, no!" Forge cried, struggling against his chains.

Contortia turned off her flame once again, walking over to me. "Took you long enough. Well?" she prompted.

"I have only one thing to say." I looked over to the person I cared so much for. "I love you, Forge."

I went invisible, shrinking myself down, escaping my chains, and going over Contortia. She shrieked, but I ignored it. I forced her to change to Elsa, freezing Ember in a block of ice so much he shattered. I then made Contortia do the same to herself, leaving her a split second before she shattered. With the last of my energy and power, I used my absorbed power to freeze Forge's chains, so he could escape.

 _Goodbye, my love._

 **Just so people know, the sphinx cat was a guy named Rock, and he is from a series called Warriors. For those who have read the series, I wanted someone who had a kind of God persona, even if Rock is incredibly annoying in the series. For those who haven't read Warriors, if you like cats living in the wild, GO READ IT NOW! Rock appears in the third series and is just an annoying God-like character. The first book of the LOOONG Warriors series is Into The Wild. GO READ THE SERIES! IT'S AWESOME. The author is Erin Hunter.**

 **Anyway, I have to go upload the next and last chapter. Bye!**


	10. Chapter 9 The Real Pair

Chapter 9 The Real Pair

Shade's POV

I had never seen my mother so angry. Or so pleased.

"How?!" Ally was panicking. "The portal wouldn't allow anymore people through than it had already!"

Isla sneered. "You're not the only one who can make portals, puny girl." She fingered Elsa's pendant.

Of course. She would have used that to get to us, after hearing that Tessa had escaped and Shade was nowhere to be seen.

I stepped in front my mother, trying to protect those behind me. "It's over, Mother. Tessa and I have both the glow and shadowstones. The Legend is complete."

"Oh, you mean these?" To everyone's surprise and horror, Isla held up two stones. One a complete clear, and the other a dark grey. She chuckled at our expressions. "You didn't really think that we would activate the Legend without stealing the glow and shadowstones first, did you?"

Then what was I wearing? I looked down at the false shadowstone. It had glowed a dark purple when I had put it on, but now it was a dull grey; meaningless. I glanced over at Tessa's pendant to see that hers was the same.

"The Guardians hadn't even seen the glow or shadowstones before the Legend had surfaced. And when did it surface? When we disappeared." Isla was now walking around our group, fondling the real glow and shadowstones. "It was simple to find the real Legend and change a few lines. We made you think Tessa and Shade were the real bearers of the pendants, but you weren't even close. ' ** _One must be born, birthed in darkness, seeking light. The other touched by the moon, seeking flight._** '" Isla chuckled again. "It was so simple, even _you_ fell for it." She was silent for a minute, before speaking again. "' ** _The one to glow is hardly seen. While the shadow has its sheen._** '"

Hardly seen? Did my mother mean Illusion? But who was the other one? Who did the real shadowstone belong to?

Isla circled the group again until she reached Jack, who was still holding Elsa in his arms. "I guess it's only… what is it? A few hours before you're gone? Oh, that's too bad. And Jack will be too depressed to bring joy to everyone. What goes better together than cold and dark?"

"Love and light," Elsa managed to whisper in response. But her words were useless against someone like Isla, especially in her condition.

"I control energy," Ally murmured.

"What was that, child?" Isla taunted. "Realizing you may not be so powerful after all?"

Ally's face was set in a determined smile. "I can control energy," she said louder. She reached out a hand commandingly. "Give me Elsa's pendant," she ordered. Much to everyone's shock, especially Isla's, Isla lifted the blue ice pendant from her neck and walked over to Ally, giving it to her. Ally clutched it in her fist. "Thank you. Now go to sleep." Isla fell to the ground, her eyes closed, sleeping.

Ally stepped up to Elsa, putting the pendant back around her neck where it belonged. She smiled at the dying woman, before looking to her own pendant. "Bring Forge and Illusion here," she told it.

An orange door opened, and through it stumbled Forge, holding Illusion in his arms. Half of Forge's face was burned, and tears snaked down it, his eyes red. Illusion wasn't moving.

"What happened, Forge?" I asked.

Forge sniffled. "He sacrificed himself to save me. Ember and Contortia are dead; he killed them." Forge's shoulders slumped. "I couldn't do anything to help, and he died." He spotted Isla on the floor, and his left arm turned into a sword.

"It's alright, Forge," I told him. "She's down for the count." My eyes squinted at the sheen of his metal sword arm. _Sheen._

I picked up the real glow and shadowstones, lifting the shadowstone up to Forge. It began to glow, and made its way over his neck by itself. The glowstone did the same to Illusion. I shared a look with Ally, and seemed to realize the same thing.

"'Only when the friends are one'," she quoted. "One. One! I can take out hearts!" She faced Forge. "Do you trust me?" Forge looked at her for a minute before nodding. "This is going to hurt," she warned.

Third Person

Ally plunged her hand into Forge's chest, causing him to cry out. Ally pulled her hand back out, and in it sat a pink, glowing human heart; Forge's heart. She placed both hands on either side of the glowing organ, twisting it until it fell into two pieces. Then, at the same time, she thrust one half of the heart into Forge's chest, and the other into Illusion's. A few tense seconds later, Illusion gave a gasp for air, and opened his eyes. Suddenly, Elsa did the same, looking better than ever.

Ally gave a breathy laugh. "I did it! You guys are going to be okay. You're gonna be okay." She looked so relieved.

Forge looked at Illusion in disbelief. "You're alive!" he breathed.

"Yeah," Illusion gasped. "I guess I am."

He didn't get to speak any more, for Forge smashed his lips to Illusion's. Forge pulled away after a second. "That's for saving me. I love you too, man."

Illusion had never looked so relieved and happy.

Neither had Jack and Elsa, who were having the same type of reunion. Tessa hugged Shade, then went over and hugged her parents for the first time as an adult. They were all crying.

"I guess this is it, huh?" Ally said. "The story is over, and I get to go back home. So do you, I guess." She snapped her fingers and Isla vanished. "I know you guys will be able to hold your own against them without me." She gave a sweeping bow, and was gone.

That was it. The end of the story, as Ally had put it. The evil wasn't completely gone, it never would be. But the friends knew they would be able to fight and temporarily defeat it every time it resurfaced. Finally.

 **And, that's it! That is the last of my little four book series. What did you all think, those who read the entire series? I think the whole series was written over the course of two to three years, so that's pretty cool. Special thanks again to my friend Laura, who probably ISN'T reading this, but I thought I'd give her a shout-out since she is the reason this series exists.**

 **That's all folks! Please let me know what you thought! And, if you want, go and read my other books: 'Two Sides to Every Story'(a FNaF fanbook) and 'Snowy Frost'(which is another Jelsa book).**

 **Thank you all for joining me on this wild ride of many different plot lines, and as always, I will see YOU in my next book.**

 **Buh-bye!**

 **~Tigerflight**


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